detention
Use Detention in a sentence
ʃən noun
1.
the act of detaining.
2.
the state of being detained.
3.
maintenance of a person in custody or confinement, especially while awaiting a court decision.
4.
the withholding of what belongs to or is claimed by another.
adjective
5.
of or pertaining to detention or used to detain: the detention room of a police station.
00:10
Detention
is always a great word to know.
So is slumgullion. Does it mean:
| a chattering or flighty, light-headed person. |
| a stew of meat, vegetables, potatoes, etc. |
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source
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Link To detention
Collins
World English Dictionary
detention (dɪˈtɛnʃən) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —n | |
| 1. | the act of detaining or state of being detained |
| 2. | a. custody or confinement, esp of a suspect awaiting trial |
| b. (as modifier): a detention order | |
| 3. | a form of punishment in which a pupil is detained after school |
| 4. | the withholding of something belonging to or claimed by another |
| [C16: from Latin dētentiō a keeping back; see | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History
detention
mid-15c., from M.Fr. detention, from L.L. detentionem (nom. detentio), from L. detinere (see detain). Sense of "confinement" first used c.1570 in reference to Mary Queen of Scots. In reference to school punishment, recorded from 1882.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Encyclopedia Britannica
Encyclopedia
detention
the practice of incarcerating accused individuals before trial on the assumption that their release would not be in the best interest of society-specifically, that they would be likely to commit additional crimes if they were released. Preventive detention is also used when the release of the accused is felt to be detrimental to the state's ability to carry out its investigation. In some countries the practice has been attacked as a denial of certain fundamental rights of the accused.
Learn more about detention with a free trial on Britannica.com.
Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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Example sentences
But the leaders of the three biggest political parties are now all in detention.
Arbitrary detention is common in both town and country.
V was thrown into a detention center years ago and disfigured by a fire in its experimental lab, and now he seeks revenge.
Many of these would-be immigrants were caught and rounded up into detention camps.
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